Proactive personality, organizational context, employee creativity and innovative capability: evidence from MNCs and domestic corporations. Issue 3 (11th July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tai, Huynh Thao; Mai, Nguyen Quynh
• Editors: Rossi, Matteo; Stokes, Peter
• Is Part Of: International journal of organizational analysis. Volume 24:Issue 3(2016)
• Publication Date: 2016-07-11
• Subjects: Management -- Periodicals; Organization -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 658
• DOI: 10.1108/IJOA-04-2015-0857
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1934-8835

Abstract

Abstract : Purpose: The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically examine antecedents of innovative capability in different organization categories of multinational corporations (MNCs) and domestic firms by applying integrative theory, linking both personal and contextual factors in explaining employee creativity. Design/methodology/approach: A conceptual framework was developed based on previous researches investigating the relationship between proactive personality, organizational context (hierarchy, communication, atmosphere and risk-taking orientation), and employee creativity and ultimately corporate innovative capability. More remarkably, by applying multiple group analysis, this research emphasizes the identification of distinct organizational contextual characteristics in multinational corporations and native corporations that respectively affect organizations' capacity to innovate via employee creativity Findings: The analysis revealed that four dimensions including communication, atmosphere, risk-taking orientation and employees' proactive personality have significant impacts on employee creativity and ultimately organizational innovative capability; whereas the proposed negative effect of hierarchy on employee creativity did not exist. More remarkably, by applying multiple group analysis, this research emphasizes the identification of distinct organizational contextual characteristics in multinational corporations and native corporations that respectively affect organizations' capacity to innovate via employee creativity: Given that proactive personality is a critical antecedent of innovative capability regardless of organization types, communication and atmosphere are statistically confirmed to be more influential antecessors in MNCs context; while for domestic corporations risk-taking orientation is dominant. Originality/value: Therefore, the originality and value of this research is obvious. Firstly, this study concentrates on individual characteristic that correlates remarkably with creativity, which is proactive personality, in order to provide a suggestion on a single personality trait of people that are suitable to perform creative jobs. Secondly, it also examines the association between various organizational aspects and employee creativity to appraise the results of previous studies done by Amabile (1989), Ford (2004), etc. in the context of multinational as well as domestic corporations.